


Time

by MonkeyFeathers224



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-13
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-14 13:37:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4566606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonkeyFeathers224/pseuds/MonkeyFeathers224
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Kuvira's defeat Republic City begins to rebuild. As the realization of how long she's been gone sinks in, Korra continues down the path to recovery. However, time can be the best teacher of all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Time to Rebuild

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so basically this is my attempt at a book five. The ending was amazing and I felt like they ended things in a way that indicated there would be a whole lot more story to tell. I believe Korra still has a lot of healing & adjusting left to do now that she's back so I wanted to address that her journey is only just beginning in a way. The idea of time is a huge deal in this story so there are a lot of jumps & loops & flashbacks, letting y'all know now lol.

"Hey you..." Korra said softly as she approached Jinora.

Jinora slowly opened her eyes.

"Sorry to interrupt but your dad sent me to find you. Katara & the others will be here any minute now."

Jinora stood up slowly & dusted herself off. "Right. Sorry, I was just... I felt it calling to me..." She turned & looked at the newborn portal. Korra smiled softly & placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It's amazing Korra, and the energy... It's so..."

"Invigorating." Korra finished as Jinora returned the smile.

Korra looked at the portal too, still processing the events of the past couple of days. The threat was taken care of but this knew portal was a sign of bigger things to come. Korra shook her head & snapped out of her daze before following Jinora out of the bodega.  
\----------  
Everyone watched as the Southern Water Tribe ship docked and a few moments later Tonraq, Senna, Kya & Katara set foot on Air Temple Island. Tenzin & the others greeted his mother & the Chief. A few seconds later Korra strode up with the still present smile on her face. Her mother & father all but ran to her.

"Oh sweetie. We're so glad you're safe & we're so proud of what you've done!"

"Extremely proud. We knew you could do it."

"I missed you too." Korra replied. A sense of utter peace settled in her core from being embraced by her parents. They slowly pulled apart from one another & Korra turned slightly to address the small woman next to her.

"You had us worried." Katara spoke. Her ancient face still as kind as ever.

"I know. I'm sorry." Korra apologized. She bent down to hug the tiny master.

"...but...it looks like you found the path to healing." She finished. Korra smiled down at her again.

"I did."

"I hate to interrupt the reunion but Firelord Izumi & Lord Zuko are already on the ferry here & it's imperative that we get to business." Raiko interrupted.

As annoyed as Korra might've wanted to be the wave of rationality hit her before she had the chance. After all things were still a huge mess. The aftermath of the battle had been devastating, no one had even known where to start.

The group all nodded in unison & they made their way up toward the temple. Korra found herself running a mental head check again; her 100th in the last two days she thought. Mako was inside healing (much to his protest) Bolin, Opal, Kai & any other airbenders where out in the city helping the United Forces, Police & a few regular citizens clean the city & try to move some people back into their homes. The Beifongs where at the station guarding Kuvira & subduing any of her soldiers who still might resist. It was odd to think that though this whole mess was her doing, Kuvira had so willingly offered to turn herself in & actively secure that none of her former soldiers retaliated. Her influence over these people was terrifying in a lot of ways. Had she not been so cooperative there would've been no way things could've ended his peacefully. Her influence was greater than Korra's, making her power greater than Korra's. The sting of guilt washed over her, if Korra had come back sooner this wouldn't of happened. She had lost credibility & it was painfully obvious Kuvira had gained it instead.

As the large group made their way into the Air Temple Library for their meeting, the eccentric Varrick & Zhu Li rushed in to join & a few seconds later Asami followed. Korra perked up in surprise. For as tall as she was her visible sulk made her look tiny, they were all tired but she looked it the most & the look in her eye was distant indicating she was lost in her mind.  
The entire room stopped & watched her slowly make her way to a seat. Korra stood & met her half way with a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey..." was all she could say. Just a 'hey' instead of the millions of other things she wanted to.

"Hey" Asami answered. The tone was cheery but it didn't match her expression which made it obvious it was a charade.

"I--uh, you should be resting Asami."

"I have a company to run & the city needs to be rebuilt. I can't afford to take a vacation right now." She replied, squeezing the hand on her shoulder & continuing to her seat.

At that moment Wu entered with Izumi & Zuko. "Well, well, well, looks like the gang is all here. Sorry we're late everyone but you know how hard it can be for us royals to keep up with such busy schedules!" He exclaimed as he sashayed into his spot.

Raiko waited for everyone to get settled in before diving into business. Again, Korra couldn't decide if it was rude or not but didn't have time to answer as she fixed her eyes on Asami. It wasn't right she thought; having to dive back in like this. Asami had just lost her father, she needed time to heal, she needed time to process... Something Korra had come to understand very well recently.

"The north & south are willing to provide any help we can" Korra heard her father say.  
"As is the fire nation" Izumi spoke. "After all, my father & Master Katara helped found this city. Republic City belongs to everyone, it's our duty to help rebuild."

A rare smile dawned on Raiko's face & Korra had a thought: as difficult as he could be he really did have the city's best interest at heart. She had to give him that.  
"We are beyond thankful to you all." He replied as he bowed in respect.

The meeting was concluded with extremely positive results. Within the next few months an overload of man power & supplies would come in from both the water tribes & the fire nation. Future Industries, Varrick Enterprises & various other great minds from around the world would come together to plan the rebuilding of the city & the influx of support meant the recovery would happen relatively fast. Despite her own doubts about herself Korra couldn't help but feel joyful that the world was rallying together. For the first time in a long time it felt like what she thought it should feel like; unity.  
\----------

Later that evening they all sat for dinner. The island was immensely crowded & chatter buzzed all around. Korra saw Asami enter the room & made her way toward her. Asami had disappeared with Varrick & Zhu Li to brain storm earlier but now was her chance. Before she could talk to her though the Beifong's & General Iroh entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt, Mother, Grandfather..." Iroh bowed before continuing. "But we have urgent business."

"Please, have a seat General. Lin. Su. Join us for dinner it's almost ready." Pema chimed in ushering them in like the mother turtle duck she was.

"Thank you, but I can't stay. My men are still on a tight schedule to finish the cleaning for today..."

"And we need to get back to Kuvira..." Lin said

"But there was something we needed to run by you, Avatar Korra." Iroh finished.

The room had grown quiet by now & Korra stood up cautiously as she began to take a step out of the dining area.

"It's probably best if everyone hears this sweetie." Su said as the three stood firmly in their places. Korra nodded for them to continue.

Su exhaled. "I want to take Kuvira back to Zaofu." Everyone looked around in surprise.

"Absolutely not, she is an enemy of Republic City & she is our prisoner." Raiko finally chimed in  
"With all due respect President Raiko with the city being in the condition that it is we are not equipped to handle prisoners. I had to instruct my officers to take the prisoners we already had to Oruna while we straighten this mess out." Lin stood in.

"She's guilty of crimes in Zaofu as well. Zaofu has recovering of our own to do but not nearly as much as here in Republic City. She will be able to be handled there far better than she could be here. Here, she might become a risk again." Su finished.

"Perhaps..." Raiko began.

"Thats not the only thing..." Iroh added. "Since her surrender, her armies have been at a stand still, waiting to hear for their next move. Kuvira has agreed to announce a worldwide, broadcasted surrender tomorrow in hopes of preventing any more potential conflicts, but there's no guarantee it'll work."

"That's why we need you kid." Lin said.

"Me?"

"If worse comes to worse there could be numerous conflicts all around the earth empire. We need the Avatar's support." Iroh answered.

Korra bowed her head in thought. It WAS foolish to think it would all stop just because Kuvira had surrendered. Her armies were loyal & they were spread far. They believed in her & they believed in their cause. They thought they were doing the right thing. They believed they were doing their duty to the world & Korra knew that sense of pride well.

"No." She finally replied.

Her response triggering more shocked expressions.

"No? I-I don't understand..." Iroh finally managed to say. Korra walked toward them.

"More fighting won't bring peace. It just continues the cycle. Kuvira SHOULD return to Zaofu & she should dismantle her own armies. When we were in that portal together I saw who she really is. She genuinely regrets her actions & she wants to fix them."

"Ha! You really believe that tyrant would just gladly go around & fix every mess she's made?" Raiko spoke.

"She's dangerous Korra." Mako said

"Yeah! Need I remind you she nearly had me assassinated?!" Wu blurted.

"Look, if there's anything I've learned from almost every enemy I've battled so far, it's that they all believed what they were doing was right, but they took their ideologies too far & that's how they became corrupted. Truth is Kuvira stepped up when the world needed her to. She stepped up when I--" Korra hoped nobody noticed the hitch in her voice. "...When I wasn't there to help... I lost credibility but Kuvira gained it. No matter how hard I fought I would never be able to fix that. They don't care I'm the avatar, it means nothing to them. This is her destiny." She finally finished.

The room was quiet again & Korra took the time to scan everyone's faces this time. She held her gaze at Asami who looked down at just stared down at her hands in her lap. Korra felt a rush of guilt for defending Kuvira.

"Avatar Korra is right." Zuko's said as he stood up, drawing everyone's attention.

"Kuvira has created a path for herself that only she can go down now. Korra is wise to understand this." He turned and looked at her. "And I'm sure Aang would've believed the same."

Korra felt a swirl of pride fill in her stomach just at the mention of his name. This was the first time she felt connected to a past life in a long time even if they were just words. The reassurance that she might not be alone relieved her.

"Yes, I believe so too." She heard Katara add.

"So then, what should we do?" Tenzin finally asked

"Have Kuvira make the announcement, if there are any retaliations then she has to go & address them herself. If it comes to that I will gladly accompany her & make sure she doesn't try anything but I will not further anymore destruction."

\-------

After the big show Iroh & the Beifong sisters retired to their other duties & the air temple resumed their meals. Korra found herself helping Pema with dishes & Asami entered the room with her bowl. It had hardly been touched.

"Oh sweetie, you hardly ate." Pema said observing the contents.

"I'll probably come back to it later, thank you though Pema." She turned & left. Korra watched with worry & tried to follow her out. She was met with a giant hand stopping her.

"We should give her some space. I'm sure she is dealing with a lot." Tenzin spoke, as Korra watched her leave. She sighed & gave Tenzin her full attention.

"I'm proud of you Korra. What you said today was very wise, I can tell you've grown much over these past 3 years."

"Yeah well... Some old cranky guy with an arrow on his head once told me 'being the avatar isn't always about fighting'" she gave him a cheeky grin & she swore he returned it, at least for a split second.

"Still..." She continued "I mostly said that because I know I would never be able to defeat her armies. Those soldiers don't care about the Avatar & I haven't exactly been one for 3 years..."

"Korra-- you were recovering, you earned the right..."

"I know, I know." She smiled at him. "...But it's true. You all had to rely on someone else to help bring balance & this is how it is. But I plan on making things right, I just-- haven't figured out how yet."

He gave her a look of defeat, either too tired to argue with her or his way of saying he agreed. The conversation ended there & they each said their good nights. Korra made her way to the dormitories still thinking about their conversation. She thought about her recovery, how difficult it had been. How awful it had been to make the decision to leave air temple island & now as she could see the door to her old room she thought back on the sleepless nights & how Asami would... Asami.

Asami never left her alone during the entire two weeks she recovered on the island. She helped her with everything, did everything for her & now, just when she was experiencing pain of her own Korra wasn't returning the favor. She walked straight pass her own room & stood outside of Asami's. The lights were on & korra stood there for a few seconds wondering if she was making the right choice before awkwardly knocking on the door anyway.

"Come in." Asami's voice sounded small. Korra stepped inside.

Asami was sat on the bed in a night robe, a mess of schematics & drawings sprawled on the bed in front of her. She was visibly tired but also deeply involved in the work, she clenched a pencil between her teeth as she stared furiously at one of the blueprints.

"Hey--I uh--" Korra started & the unsteadiness of her voice was enough to finally draw Asami's full attention.

"Oh hey." She said. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare? I can..."

"Asami." Korra's voice was stern enough to draw Her out of her ramble. "I'm fine." Korra spoke again. Making her way to the bed, she sat in a tiny clear spot just on the edge.

"Oh, good. Okay." Asami replied somewhat defeatedly. Starting to turn her attention back to her work again.

"Asami... Are you-- I mean I know you're not, but, do you want-- do you need anything?" Was all Korra could fumble out, no part of it sounding appropriate or good enough.

It was quiet for a while & Korra questioned whether Asami had even heard her. She kept her look fixed on the engineer & soon after Asami sighed & put her pencils down.

"I don't know how to feel. I'm just-- dealing." Korra hadn't expected the answer & only continued watching in silence as she searched for something she might be able to say. Another long pause passed.

"Asami, you once told me that you would be here for me if I wanted to talk or anything &..." THAT had managed to get her attention & Korra grabbed the other girl's hand to squeeze it before continuing. "...I want you to know that I'm here for you now too. If you ever want to talk or...anything."

Asami bashfully tucked some hair back behind her ear & the smile she gave was much warmer & genuine than it had been all day.

"Thank you Korra." She replied. "You don't have to do this." Her smile turned again.

"YES. I do." Korra said scooting closer. "Asami, you helped me through one of the toughest times in my life. You never asked for anything in return, you were a true friend. My best friend."

Small tears began to hug the corner of Asami's eyes. Barely visible over the dimly lit room.

"Now, it's time for me to return the favor. We'll get through this together." Korra smiled & it was returned. The two hugged.


	2. A Chance At Redemption

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new portal is investigated. Korra is confused on where she stands as the Avatar now.

Korra, Jinora and Tenzin walked through the crater & toward the glowing portal. It towered over the trio, greeting them somewhat overwhelmingly.

"Wow, I'll never get over how beautiful it is." Jinora said in awe.

"Yeah well don't get too excited. We still don't know anything about this thing, and I for one don't want to be fighting off giant spirit monsters every other week.." Korra replied as she stared the portal down suspiciously.

"But this could mean so many things! Another portal could increase our connections with the spirits and its new location means regular people will be able to enter the spirit world too..."

"It IS very exciting Jinora but Korra's right; there are many potential risks from having a new portal and especially at the heart of our city. It's important that we make sure no one is in danger because of it." Tenzin interrupted as they neared the very edge of the bright beam.

"Stay alert and stay together... I know our last trip to the spirit world didn't go as smoothly as we would've liked." Tenzin said turning to Jinora.

"Hey, that was like, a harmonic convergence ago. we'll be fine." Korra assured as they all walked into the light.

The other side was a beauty to be held. They stood in a gorgeous field of flowers and Korra got her first real look since being there with Kuvira some days ago. They appeared to be in a valley of some kind as a serene mountain range wrapped around them.

It was quiet, not a spirit to be found but as they made their way through the valley they were met with an audience.

Upon recognizing Korra they approached, looking for answers. One asked what the new portal was for, another asked if it meant more humans would be entering frequently now, another implored it be closed as well as the other two in the North & South Pole.

"Look everyone, I'm just as confused as you are." Korra replied, trying her best to silence them.

"Humans have no place in the spirit world, Avatar. The portal must be closed." One particularly cranky spirit demanded.

"the physical world wasn't originally meant for the spirits but you all lived out there for a long time, am I right?" Korra snapped.

"Humans can do far more damage to our world than we can to theirs." A gentler spirit spoke this time.

"Have any humans entered the spirit world since they've been opened?" Korra asked, generally concerned at the potential danger.

"No. So far it has been only you and your supernatural trouble makers who enter our domain." The spirit replied.

Korra stared at her feet solemnly at the bitter memories of Unalaq & Zaheer.  
"I apologize for that, but they're gone now, well most of them and won't do harm to either of the worlds anymore." Korra said.

"The spirits and the humans in the physical world have learned how to coexist with each other... We even rebuilt Republic City so neither the vines nor everyday life would be bothered by eachother..." Jinora added her enthusiastic voice made Korra smile.

"Hmm, that's because the spirits interested in the physical world are brutes, far too interested in human life if you ask me." The cranky spirit added in once more.

"Yeah, well not all humans care about your high and mighty spirity stuff as much as you think, bub." Korra replied.

Before the two could go back and forth anymore Tenzin stepped in.  
"I think what Avatar Korra is trying to say is that evil and good exist in both our worlds. Closing the portals would not permanently end any threats from ever happening again."

"Hmm, well neither does leaving a spirit portal wide open to draw trouble like a hopper-moth to a flame." The same prude spirit sassed.

"Look, you have my word as Avatar that i will make sure no trouble comes to the spirit world just as I protect the psychical world but I will NOT close the portals. The responsibility to learn how to coexist is not something that solely lies on me. That is ALL our responsibilities."

The prude spirit gave another displeased sound before leaving, slowly the others began to fade away as well.

"Well, at least we know both sides are weary of potential danger. If anything this means we will all be able to work together." Tenzin said optimistically. He walked over to Korra who held a look of dissatisfaction on her face.

"Korra, what's wrong?" It was Jinora this time.

"I can't fix this Kuvira situation myself, i can't fix this spirit/human problem myself. It's like there's nothing I can do myself. I thought I was done feeling this useless." She clenched her fists in frustration. "I need ...redemption." Her voice quieted in defeat.

"That's nonsense, you defeated Kuvira! You saved the city! Just because there's no more fighting to do doesn't mean you're useless." Jinora reassured.

"Yeah, well I'm starting to feel like fighting is all I'm good for." Korra pouted again.

"Korra, I've already told you; you don't need to redeem yourself for anything. The world does not solely rely on the Avatar..."

"Oh so I AM useless, Thanks." Korra replied sarcastically.

"Let me finish" Tenzin said. "... It's the Avatar's duty to bring balance to the world yes, but it's just like you told that spirit; the people and spirits who make up this world also have a part to play as well. If the Avatar was responsible for every conflict on this earth you would never be able to rest. Instead, like all things, our individual destinies whatever they might be are balanced and distributed among us evenly." He smiled at her. "Even though some of our destinies lie on bigger scales. It's very wise of you to know when to step in and when not to. It doesn't make you weak." Korra smiled in understanding.

"Thank you Tenzin. I guess, after everything, I still just feel guilty. I missed out on so much when I was gone. Everything's so different now." It was easier to tell Kuvira and the spirits what they should do. It was also the Avatars "job" to say things like that (as far as she knew) but it was a lot harder for Korra to decide what SHE was supposed to do. For three years her main focus had been recovering so she could get back in action. Now she was recovered but wasn't sure what to do next, who she was supposed to BE next. all that was obvious was that the years hadn't waited for her to get better. It felt like her role was changing and she didn't know what it was anymore.  
"You have made such great progress on your road to recovery Korra. The last step is accepting what happened and leaving it behind. That's the true act of redemption."

Suddenly the ground beneath the three began to shift and the scenery around them started to change. They were being taken somewhere else, guided by the spirit world itself it seemed. They were taken past an ocean of grass and through a swamp land, suddenly the Tree of Time became visible as well as the north & south portals.

"What was that all about?" Korra asked as she regarded the Tree.

"The spirit world is trying to tell us something." Jinora said observing everything around them.

"And it has something to do with the tree of time?" Korra turned to face Jinora who nodded in response.

"Well... You brought me here, whatdya got for me big guy?" Korra projected.

"Maybe you have to step into it?" Jinora suggested.

Now that Vaatu no longer existed his former prison remained empty. Korra stepped into the giant opening and took a seat. Unlike a couple months ago, the Tree began to play her memories before her. Battle after battle, reliving all the pain. She might've reconnected with Raava again but she hadn't yet managed to get over the horrible feelings these memories brought her. Seconds later an energy swarmed around her and an inner branch reached out, touching her in the middle of her forehead.

In that instance Korra began to have a vision. She saw the sky, then the moon and sun began changing the longer the vision continued. The experience became increasingly difficult to stand and Korra snapped her eyes open with a loud gasp.  
Jinora and Tenzin rushed up to join her inside the tree. Korra held her head in her hands, an intense pain pulsing from within.

"Korra? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Tenzin asked bending down to meet her eyes.  
"I--I don't know..." Korra replied still in a daze. "I saw, I had... A vision. I-- I saw... I don't know what I saw."

Tenzin leaned in closer and pressed for her to elaborate.

"I saw the sky... It started changing from night to day. It got faster & faster until..." Korra rubbed her head.  
"What does it mean?" She asked, hoping they would know.

"I don't know." Tenzin muttered.

"Whatever it is, the tree wanted you to experience it. The sky changing from night to day could mean something from the past? Maybe the tree wants you to fix something that happened there?" Jinora mindfully suggested.

"What, like time travel?" Korra asked as she rose to her feet again.

"It's possible." Jinora said looking at the tree.

The skies above them began to cloud at Korra's confused state. Tenzin realized this & warned her.

"Right. Sorry. Let's get out of here. We know that for now there are no immediate threats, that was our mission all along.

\----------

The ferry to Air Temple Island docked just as the sky had darkened for the night. As Korra, Tenzin & Jinora began their way inside they were greeted by General Iroh.

"Kuvira made the announcement today. She ordered her troops to step down and assist the United Forces with any cleanup both here and around the Earth Empire. Reports came back that her soldiers seem to have accepted the orders and are now actively working with our forces." Iroh reported.

"That's great!" Korra replied with relief & excitement.

"...but..."

"But...?" The relief melted away.

"But there was still a small group that refused to surrender. My sources say they've all held up on Omashu and still occupy it under her rule. They refuse to speak to anyone but Kuvira and they've threatened the people of the city if she doesn't order them to stand down in person, they think it's some kind of trick."

Korra's brow furrowed at the realization of what was coming.

"Kuvira's going to have to make the trip to Omashu." Iroh finished.

Korra turned to the portal, it's light almost blinding against the now dark city around them. She turned back.

"We'll leave tomorrow. I'll accompany her to Omashu like I said and once it's stabilized we can return her to Zaofu. If she's serious about it, this is her chance at redemption."

\---------------

"You seem a little...distracted." Senna coerced as she and Korra bent the water back and forth.

"Sorry..." Korra returned her attention to the water and passed it back to her mother.

"Did everything in the spirit world go okay?"

"Yeah, it went fine." technically it wasnt a lie but she didnt mention the visions from the tree either. The moon was particularly bright as it illuminated the patio.

"Yue looks beautiful tonight..." Senna attempted to change the subject. When Korra didnt bite Senna finally pressed for answers.

"I dont know..." Korra started. "I know I should be happy that we save the city and everything's getting better but I just feel even more confused now. I hate it. I thought all I needed was to be able to fight again and reconnect with Raava...but everything's so different, EVERYONE is so different..." she turned her attention back to Ikki & Rohan who were picking flowers just outside of the door. "I missed out on some much when I was gone."

"Have you tried talking to Raava?" Senna asked.

'I dont think it works like that. Besides it's not an Avatar thing... it's ME. I'M the problem."

"It's okay to be confused sometimes Korra, we're all huma--"

"But I'm the AVATAR."

An awkward silence fell over them.

"Sweetie I know you've always been so proud to be the Avatar but the people who love you, love you because you're Korra..." she stood up and dusted herself off. "I know being the Avatar is a hard job but that's not all you are."

Korra remained silent.

"Just promise me that whatever happens you'll always be YOU. Not the Avatar, just, Korra.

Senna made her way indoors and left Korra back on the patio. Her words hadnt exactly comforted Korra much, what was with everyone trying to tell her it was okay to not be the Avatar? She exhaled and looked up at the moon. Yue really WAS beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what y'all think!


	3. Messages From The Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Avatar travels to Omashu with Kuvira. Korra thinks she's learned what the Tree of Time did to her, now plagued with not only her guilt but that of others, she searches for the meaning within.

It was now midday as the group loaded up onto the United Forces airship. General Iroh had managed to secure a visit to the city of Omashu by promising the group would be small and peaceful. No extra soldiers, no weapons, just the General, Lin & Su Beifong and the Avatar were allowed to accompany Kuvira. Korra persisted that Bolin and Jinora be allowed to go as extra precaution. Mako had all but fought to be allowed onto the airship & despite his arm Korra allowed him to come on his insistence that "Prince Wu had said he should go as eyes and ears of the future Earth King" which Korra new was a bunch of monkey feathers but allowed him on the ship anyway. With that, Team Avatar was ready to go.

Korra stood on the ramp & watched as Kuvira was escorted in by Su & Lin. As the propellers readied themselves for take off Korra looked back down and was surprised to see Asami walking toward the ramp.

"Asami!" Korra said in half joy & half concern. "What's going on?"

"You guys are headed to Zaofu after Omashu & Bataar Sr. Is one of the greatest inventors in the world. Raiko thought I should go with you guys to work with him and see if we can make both cities better again." She replied. Her voice sounding more like her old self then it had in a couple days.

"Great!" Then with an air of caution; "Are you sure you're gonna be okay? I mean, you know Kuvira's..."

Asami stepped further inside the airship, standing directly beside Korra. She gave Korra grateful and reassuring eyes.

"I know." Her smiled curved down a bit obviously think of the events of the past couple of days. "... But maybe this is what I need to recover." Asami finished and when she looked up Korra returned the smile.

\------------

There was still a long way to go before Omashu, the gang hadn't even flown out of United Republic Terrority yet. Korra looked out and down into the land they were flying over, it appeared to be a forest of some kind. Korra stared intensely at it feeling a strange pain beginning to reach her head. Abruptly, the same kind of sensation that had taken hold of her in the Tree of Time came again.

Without warning, she landed on the grown with a thud. She was in a forest but it had obviously been burned. Nothing remained around her but ash and acorns, of which she pulled out from under her. Korra stood and rubbed herself, trying to make sense of where she was.  
She looked up ahead and saw three kids gathered, she walked closer and her jaw dropped as she saw the three kids were none other than Katara, Sokka & Aang himself.

"Aang! I can't believe it, it's really you! You look so young, you all do! And Sokka! I've missed you!" As Korra continued her joyful reunion she noticed that the other three hadn't even acknowledged her.  
She yelled their names, swung her hands, even tried touching them. When nothing worked she stopped and paid attention to what was happening.

Sokka was furious, the fire nation had destroyed the forest. Now, Aang sank to the grown, he was guilty; feeling it was his fault for disappearing for so long. At that moment Aang's body began to glow red and as he began to cry the pain in Korra's head returned. She winced and when her eyes opened again she was on the back of an air bison in the middle of a storm. They crashed into the water and Korra saw a dead monks skeleton. The experience progressed and she saw a volcano start to come down on her as a man on a dragon flew away, then a nasty looking spirit with multiple faces that showed her the face of a woman. The experiences flashed before her so quickly and brought so many feelings of anguish that the pain was growing unbearable and Korra pulled herself to the present.

"You okay kid?" Lin's stern voice asked as she entered the room.

A few sweat beads caressed Korra's forehead as she slowly came down from her experience.

"Yeah, I'm fine... Just-- daydreaming?" Korra reassured unconvincingly.

"Hmph, well, time to eat. You comin' or are you gonna daydream all the way to Omashu?" Lin turned and walked out.

"Great, as if I didnt feel bad enough." Korra pouted. She was even more confused than before now. Flashbacks of watching Unalaq destroy her connections to her past lives hit Korra. She had tried her hardest to reconnect with them but it was no use, which meant that whatever had just happened was something completly new. As her frustration grew Korra considered calling on Raava but stopped herself. This was HER problem, she needed to find the answer herself. Korra sighed and stood up, deciding to resign for the moment and join the others.

 

\--------------

The airship was dead silent as the team slept. Suddenly, a large boom vibrated through the halls and korra woke with a jolt. Just outside of her door everyone else was already up.

"What was that?!" Mako questioned just as Iroh rounded the corner.

"The ship is going down!" He yelled.

"What? How is that possible?" Asami questioned.

"We thought this was one of the airships that managed to make it out of Kuvira's attack unscathed but apparently not. The fuel tanks are cracked & the engines are giving out!"

"Great, even when she's on our side she's still messing things up!" Bolin shouted as Kuvira & Su joined the group.

"What should we do?" Jinora asked as she watched the airship sink closer to to the ground from the window.

"Brace yourselves!" Iroh shouted as the airship shook violently.

Korra turned away from the window. "No, jump! There's a river down there we can land safely into it. If we stay on the ship we'll slam into the mountain!"

Korra blasted the windows open. "ready. Jump on three!"

"Wait do you mean on three or after three..." Bolin asked.

"One. Two...THREE!!"

All 10 passengers jumped out of the airship and into the night. The ship behind them combusted into a nearby mountain side & as they quickly descended. Korra bent a water cushion from the water.

The team slowly emerged and attempted to dry themselves off. Mako scanned their new location.

"Looks like we better make camp here. Omashu is just beyond this mountain range. We should be able to make it there on foot."

Aang & Katara were practicing a water bending move. Funnily enough it looked like one of the first moves she had also taught Korra many years ago. There was music of some kind playing in the distance; "two lovers, forbidden from one another..." Suddenly, Korra was sucked back to the present. She made her way to higher ground where the others were all gathered around a fresh fire.

"You okay?" Jinora asked as she watched Korra distractedly sit next to her.

"Not exactly..." Korra said turning to face her. "Remember my vision in the tree of time? Well, I think I know what it means..."

The light from the flames danced across Jinora's face, making her quirked eyebrow barely visible. Korra continued.

"Earlier, back on the airship I-- saw Aang."

Jinora's jaw dropped in shock. "You regained your connection? What did he say?" She pressed.

"I don't know, it was different. I saw Aang but I couldn't talk to him, I was just there. Watching. I think I experienced other things from different past lives too. I was experiencing a bad time for them, I could feel all the pain & guilt." She frowned at how familiar the pain had felt. Then she turned to Jinora again. " it's just like you said; maybe the tree of time's restored my connection to my past lives so I could fix things."

Jinora turned toward the fire & thought for a second.  
"Hm, it makes sense. I mean you were talking to dad about redemption just before the tree lured us to it..."

"Exactly." Korra smiled.

"So, what are you gonna do?" Jinora asked excitedly.

"I guess, figure out a way to better control it...But it looks like that's gonna have to wait until we deliver Kuvira to Zaofu." Korra thought back to the song she had heard earlier when she had seen Aang & Katara.  
"Hey, Jinora, do you know anything about a song... Uh, something about lovers forbidden from one another?"

Jinora perked up as she had a sudden realization. "The Cave of Two Lovers! Of course, it's in this mountain range & it's a shortcut to Omashu! Gran Gran told me about how her, Grandpa Aang & Uncle Sokka went through it! I'm sure she told you too, it's one of her FAVORITE stories to tell!"

Korra gave a sheepish grin. "Hah, I guess I wasn't paying attention..."

\-------------

Lin watched as Asami laid the schematics just close enough to the fire so they would begin to dry off. She gave a small amused snort at the realization that somehow in the drama of their crash the engineer & been able to conveniently save them.

"They're not ruined?" Mako asked as he watched her do the same.

"I think they'll be alright. Just a little bit of water." Asami said as she continued to lay them before her. When she finished she turned to him. "How're you doing? The arm okay?"

"I'll be alright, thanks for asking. How are YOU doing? We saw what happened-- I... I'm here if you need anything." He said sadly.

"I'm taking it one day at a time I guess. Thanks though Mako, you're a good friend." The two smiled at each other & there was a lull in the conversation as Asami tended to her schematics again & mako attempted to make himself comfortable in the dirt for sleep.

Asami jolted in surprise as Lin's voice broke the silence.

"I'm sorry kid."

Asami just gave her a confused look.

"If I hadn't busted him out..."

"It's not your fault." Asami interrupted before Lin even had the chance to finish. "If you hadn't we'd probably all be captives right now." Asami turned to the fire.

"You're a strong woman Asami."

Asami smiled. "Thanks for everything chief."

\---------

"How're you holding up?" Korra asked as she made her way into Kuvira's campsite.

Kuvira stayed silent for a moment. "Good as can be accepted I suppose."  
She was chained to the tree next to her & had been provided a small fire. Bolin had been assigned night duty but had excused himself once he saw Korra coming.

"Sorry. But you know we can't--"

"I understand."

"You're doing a good thing Kuvira." Korra reassured.

"Its what needs to be done. Though there's no changing the past."

Korra's eyes darted.

"It's a chance to set things right... And we could all use that from time to time." Korra finally replied.

\-----------------

"Remind me again where we're going?" Lin mumbled as the team approached the opening of the cave.

"The cave of two lovers!" Jinora bemused as she regarded the sign.

"The cave of what now?" Asami asked.

"Its a labyrinth that cut through the mountain range & creates a shortcut to Omashu." Korra replied.

"Oh, I've heard of this place" Su said. "It was created by two lovers from enemy villages to meet in secret..."

"& grandpa & Gran gran got out of the cave by believing in love... Ugh, I wish Kai was here." Jinora interrupted.

"Who knew the avatar was such a romantic." Asami teased. Bolin snickered. Mako smiled & Korra rubbed the back of her neck.

"Okay, are we gonna stand out here chatting all day or are we gonna get in this death hole?" Lin barked as she led the way into it.

Once a few feet inside the dark tunnel became increasingly intimidating.

"Is it just me or did I think cave was going to be you know; more romantic." Bolin asked nervously inspecting his surroundings.

Suddenly the walls beside & above them began to shake angrily.

"What's going on?" Iroh asked.

"What kind of tricks are you pulling?!" Su asked Kuvira accusingly.

"I'm not doing anything." Kuvira replied slightly annoyed.

Incoming!" Mako yelled as he pointed towards falling rocks.

A few rocks turned into a bunch & suddenly the group found themselves actively fighting the cave.

"The cave is changing!" Korra yelled. A barrage of rocks continued to fall & out of the corner of her eye Korra spotted Asami defenseless against them. As the rocks came down harder creating a barrier Korra jumped for Asami to get her out of the way.

"Korra!! Asami!!" Bolin yelled as he began to move rocks away, only seeming to make it worse.

"Give it a rest Bolin! We're separated!" Lin said. She slammed a foot onto the ground beneath her.  
"I can feel them on the other side, they seem fine. Let's just focus on getting out of here. I can feel a path this way, let's go."

"Curse you Cave of Two Lovers!" Bolin berated as they began their journey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to think that even though she reconnected with Raava again it'll take Korra some time to actually RECONNECT with her (if you get me LOL) just like with everything else.


End file.
